


After All (The Undead)

by Sashataakheru



Series: Spook Me fics [4]
Category: The Move RPF
Genre: Bloodplay, Community: spook_me, Drug Use, Halloween, Kink, LSD, M/M, Spook Me Multi-Fandom Halloween Ficathon, Vampires, bloody wounds, tourfic, vampire attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 00:31:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2527322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashataakheru/pseuds/Sashataakheru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Halloween in a nondescript town brings more horror than Ace and Trevor are willing to deal with, as spirits, demons, and vampires roam the fields, looking for anyone who stumbles into their reach.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After All (The Undead)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Spook Me 2014 for the prompt 'vampires'. Because I don't always write werewolves.

The attack had come out of nowhere, and high as they were, neither recognised the reality as anything more than a dreadful hallucination. After all, it was October 31st, and they'd already seen plenty of mischief and ghouls lying in wait as they made their way to the fields where it was quiet and dark. Lying on the grass in the middle of the first field they thought looked safe enough, having escaped the hotel in a bid to escape from the rest of the band and their disapproval, they'd dropped some acid, and let the stress of the tour float away. Everything had been fine until suddenly they were being attacked by beings that seemed keen on biting them. 

Trevor managed to fight them off fairly quickly, taking advantage of the slope and the dewy grass to slip past, and it was only through throwing rocks at the attackers that he managed to pull Ace free, albeit with a bloody wound on his neck. Not waiting around to discover who or what had attacked them, Trevor grabbed Ace and ran, unsure where safety was, but hoping he'd find it anyway.

Safety turned out to be a barn across the road, the closest shelter they could find. Perhaps it was too close, but Trevor wasn't sure Ace would make it much further, given the amount of blood pouring out of him. Trevor left Ace lying on some hay and locked them in before returning to his side. Ace was in a bad way, a hand clutching his neck in a vain bid to stop himself bleeding out. 

"Safe, yeah? Gonna - gonna make it, aren't we?" Ace breathed.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. We're safe. We'll be alright," Trevor said, hoping to reassure himself as much as anything as he frantically searched for any kind of bandage. All the barn seemed to offer was rags, which didn't quite seem enough. Still, they were better than nothing, though whether they would be enough, Trevor wasn't sure. At least there wasn't anything else in the barn except them.

"Bit me, Trev. Bloody bit me," Ace said. "Y'bleeding, man, c'n see it allovaya."

Trevor was pretty sure half of it was Ace's blood, but it didn't particularly matter. "Yeah, I know. Bit me too. Not as bad as you, though. Just hang in there, yeah?" 

Ace tried to nod, drifting in and out of consciousness. Trevor felt he was too young to have to deal with this, and out in the middle of nowhere, he wasn't sure he could even find help now that he needed it. He didn't want to leave him, either. He was sure Ace wouldn't make it if he left. He might not make it if he stayed, either, but he wasn't sure he was brave enough to stay and watch him die. His own injuries weren't as bad, and the rag bandage around his left forearm had mostly managed to stop the bleeding.

Trevor froze at the sound of approaching footsteps, accompanied by a pounding on the barn walls. Had they been followed? Were they about to be killed? Was it just kids playing a prank, or something much more dangerous? The blood suggested real danger, but what that danger was, he couldn't imagine. Escape was obviously the best choice, but there was nowhere to run, and no way to take Ace with him. If he left-

Ace tried to gesture at him to leave. "Jus- go, man. 'mnot gonna..." 

"I'm not leaving you here to die!" Trevor hissed, failing to hide his panic. 

"Y'll die if y'stay 'ere. 'm dying, Trev. C'n feelit, yeaah," Ace said. 

Trevor could barely hear his voice, and he knew he was losing him. The pool of blood was growing larger, and the rags were now completely soaked. The pounding got louder, and he was sure he could hear something snarling outside. How many things were out there, and what sort of things they were, he didn't know, but it sounded like they'd surrounded the barn. He wanted to run, but he wasn't sure where he'd even go. Ace could tell him to run until he died, but Trevor wasn't sure it would offer a way out. He wasn't sure there was anywhere to run to.

"Go, y'bastard, jus- go. F'gedaboudme. 'magonna," was the last thing Trevor heard before something smashed through the barn door.

Trevor's instincts took over, and he fled away from the door. He could see dark figures approaching, and he hid in the shadows, watching with horror as they pounced on Ace. There was nothing he could do for him now. 

Then something sharp punctured his shoulder, and he froze as arms closed tightly around him, squeezing the breath from him. The last thing he was aware of before he lost consciousness was the sensation of being dragged along the ground as blood drained from his body.

* * *

Roy ignored the knocking on the door he could hear, hoping they might go away. It was a rare day off for them, and he was meant to be trying to write, because he could never quite stop working even on tour, but all he'd managed so far was a few chords, scribbled on a page held down by a bottle of vodka that was partly drunk, along with a few strings of lyrics he wasn't sure were going anywhere. Not that Roy was drunk, not yet; he'd been in there for the better part of four hours, sipping the vodka slowly as he tried to figure out the tiny piece of an idea he thought might come good. He wasn't drunk yet because he was too focussed on the process. 

And yet, that knocking was still there. Irritated at the intrusion, Roy set his guitar down and went to see who was trying to disturb him. He opened the door to find Carl standing there, offering dinner. He was smiling in that infuriating way that made Roy barely protest as Carl invited himself in.

"Mind if I join you? Bev's gone out drinking with Trev and Ace, so I thought I'd see how you were doing. Written anything yet?" 

Resigned to his company, but not ungrateful for it, Roy closed the door. "Not much. I don't think the idea's ready yet, and I'm not sure more vodka will help."

"Well, you're the songwriter. I'm just the singer, unless you want to sing this one as well." Carl sat down on his bed and patted the duvet. "Come on, sit down, I brought you fish and chips."

Roy was almost willing to ignore the comment as the prospect of fish and chips was not one to pass up. There weren't many things that could distract him from song-writing, but food was one of them, particularly if Carl brought it. He could smell them now as Carl unwrapped the newspaper. 

"Who'd you have to bribe to get these then? I was almost resigned to more of that horrid curry," Roy said. "I still can't get the taste out of my mouth."

"I knew who to ask, that's how. Thought you could do with something nicer. Life's too short to eat bad curry," Carl said.

"Indeed it is. I'd rather eat you, though," Roy countered.

"You always did like all the things that are bad for you," Carl said, offering a friendly smile.

"Even you?" Roy asked, giving him a knowing look. 

"Especially me." Carl leant into him, and Roy shivered as he spoke, his voice brushing over his skin. "Oh, I'll lead you into all sorts of trouble if you're not careful. Thugs, violence, riots, you'd follow me to the ends of the Earth if I asked you to, wouldn't you?"

Roy swallowed, and nodded. He loved and feared Carl when he was like this. Half the time, he knew it was just an act, a pretense to bastardry that was part of the band's image. He knew full well Carl could be the kindest man in the known world, gentle and compassionate. The sort of man who would always refuse to hurt him. And yet, when he wanted to, he could be just like all those other hard men, capable of holding his own, and inflicting his own share of damage if anyone threatened him. Roy had never liked those kind of men, but there was something about Carl he was drawn to, and his protective nature, in spite of his bastardry, won him over every time. 

Carl smiled at him, hand gripping his chin. He kissed him, and Roy melted at his touch. He did so love the way Carl offered himself so freely. Roy didn't even need to ask anymore as he tasted a drop of blood on his tongue. It offered a spark of energy he needed. Sometimes, it was enough to sate him, but not tonight. It had been too long since he'd had a proper drink.

Hunger raged through him as he pulled Carl back on top of him, grabbing his wrist to bite down on it, finding that sweet spot on the inside, just underneath the palm, sucking the blood from him. He'd learnt to control his feeding instincts long enough to keep Carl alive, and only take what he needed, but it still threatened to go too far sometimes. Then again, Carl had the sort of nature that made him surrender. Just a hand around his throat was enough to tell Roy he'd had enough, and he let go, the last of the blood trickling down his throat. He gasped, screeched, and struggled to get free, but Carl pinned him down hard.

"That's enough, Roy. You've had your fill," Carl said, dominance flooding his voice.

Roy fought him a little longer, still able to smell the blood, before the physical force brought about his complete surrender. Eventually, he lay still, and only when Carl was sure he could let him go without bringing on another attack did he sit up and let him go. Roy hated him like that, knowing he had allowed himself to be controlled by a mere mortal. He had far more strength than Carl would ever possess, and he had, once or twice, broken walls with ridiculous ease, but the will to fight him wasn't something he possessed. He sometimes thought it was love that made him surrender, but he wasn't sure. He couldn't really remember what love was meant to feel like. 

Satisfied, Carl sat back and invited him to eat the food he'd brought as he wrapped a handkerchief around the wound on his wrist. Roy hesitated, but complied, watching for signs of Carl's dominance. But it wasn't there anymore; Carl was just like he was before, the monster hidden away. Roy would still watch him with guarded eyes as they ate, waiting for him to come out again.

* * *

A heartbeat pounding through his body was the first sensation Trevor was really aware of. It was a regular pounding beat, reverberating all around him, and it made his head hurt. He closed his eyes, and it got louder. Definitely a bad idea, then. He tried to look around, to see if he recognised where he was, but it was all shadow and nothing else. He assumed he must be in a dark place, given his vision didn't seem to be picking up any colour at all. He tried to move, but his body felt stiff, as if he'd been paralysed. 

"Why can't I move? I wonder where Ace is, anyway?" Trevor mused as he struggled to move. He didn't think he'd been restrained, but it was hard to tell. 

"Give it time. The body always takes a while to shake off the rigor mortis. You'll be fine after a good feed. That'll get the blood pumping again," came a voice from across the darkness.

Trevor blinked. "I'm still bloody high, aren't I? Where the fuck am I?" 

"Yeah, the memories might take a while to return. Death will do that to an undead brain. Takes a while to figure out how to work properly again, cos the blood's different," the voice said.

Trevor took a moment to take in his words, and try to remember what had happened. He remembered the acid, and the fields, and Ace, but then something had happened. Everything went red. The specifics were lost to him, and he wasn't really sure he'd remember them.

"Alright, who the fuck are you, then?" Trevor said, unsure he wanted to know the answer.

A face appeared out of the darkness and came into his field of vision. The face seemed to be quite old and weathered, with sharp teeth and dark grey skin, and hair that was dark and matted. The face didn't quite smile, but nor did it seem to offer the suggestion of malice, either.

"Yarmi. Sorry about the lads. They got a bit excited, seeing some fresh blood. Don't usually turn folks like that. Too messy. Not many folks walk on those fields these days. Only strangers, yeah. Your mate's still waking up. He's over where you left him, I think, unless he's gone and moved on his own," the face said.

"Yarmi? Seriously?" Trevor felt he was still too stoned to deal with this, whatever it was he was dealing with.

"Look, they're not bright lads. Ghouls, the lot of 'em. Can't half remember not to eat each other some nights. What I wouldn't kill for some proper blooded vamps to work with," the face said. Then it smiled broadly. "So's it's a good thing you turned up, ain't it? Cos now I have two of ya. Least, I hope it's two of ya. You heard that pounding? Got the bloodlust? Can y'feel ya lungs breathing?"

Trevor still wasn't entirely sure this wasn't just a bizarrely bad trip, but perhaps he was making some sort of sense. "Maybe, I guess?" 

A bare arm appeared before his eyes; there was no way to tell whether it belonged to Yarmi or to someone else, and who that someone else might be. 

"Go on, then," Yarmi encouraged. "Have a feed."

Something stirred in Trevor. His vision had acquired one colour now; the arm was glowing with bright red lines, presumably following the veins inside. Trevor felt a pang of hunger in his belly, and when he tried to get his body to move, it obeyed, and he grasped the arm as he bit down into it over a particularly bright red spot, drinking in all the blood it offered. It was warm and tangy, and it filled him with warmth and life. It consumed him.

* * *

Roy was standing by the window an hour later, watching the city below. Carl went through to the balcony, lighting a cigarette. Roy watched him, shivering as the cool air came into greet him. Fire crackers could be heard echoing across the town. They were another reason Roy had stayed in to write. He wasn't exactly scared of Hallowe'en, but the demons and vampires and werewolves and all the other creatures humanity tended to forget existed were always out in force that night. The veils between the worlds was ripped apart, and the world was bathed in blood. 

Roy had been aware of this since he was a child. He'd seen their shadows on his bedroom walls. His grandmother had offered some charms that were meant to scare them off, but they never worked. They remained shadows, stalking him endlessly, until he was thirteen, when they came for him. The conversion wasn't entirely consensual, but it had, at least, given him an internal strength he needed to survive, and a mentor that had helped him adjust to life as a vampire as he grew up. That he even grew up at all still surprised him. He didn't understand how a dead body could grow, but grow it did until he had an adult body, and then it stopped. 

In front of him, Carl stood there, his bare back kissed by moonlight, leaning on the railing. Roy spent several minutes tracing the muscles and scars on his back that he could see, tracing his eyes down his arms, remembering how he held him tight. He could also see the blood vessels, glowing red and bright, spreading out all over his bare skin. He could smell the blood, and feel the warmth coming from them, but he'd been satisfied for now, and the hunger was easy to ignore.

He knew the story behind every scar, because he'd given him most of them. Back when they'd first met, and started sleeping together, there'd been a particular knife, small and ornate, that had been used to draw blood. It started as a ritual, where Carl would lie down and offer his blood to him to sate him and keep him sweet, once he'd learnt what Roy really was. Every cut had been a payment, and they zigzagged all over his back and shoulders. 

But somewhere along the line, ritual and obligation had made way for love. The offer was the same, but the circumstances different. It was a wrist, or a thigh, or a breast, or some other part of his body, sometimes when they were having sex, if Roy felt particularly aroused. He still had the knife, though, in case he ever needed it. It had tasted Carl's blood, and he could use that to curse him if he ever felt threatened enough to lash out. 

Carl could blackmail just as well, though, and his bare back was part of it. Roy hated that he found him so attractive, and that he let himself be drawn to a man who could utterly overwhelm and control him. He was a vampire, one of the undead, and a mortal man had power over him. Carl had even got a small cross tattooed on each palm, adding another dose of pain and control when he needed to half-strangle him to make him back off after a feed.

Roy sometimes wondered if these sort of shows were deliberately done for him, or if Carl wasn't aware of what he was doing and how Roy appreciated them. It was hard to know; Carl was an open book, except for those times when Roy found him impossible to understand. 

"Are you going to come out and join me, or are you going to stay there in the shadows? Don't think I can't see you staring at me," Carl said, his voice interrupting Roy's imaginings. 

"Oh, right, yeah, sure. Just a minute," Roy said, caught off-guard. He took a moment to collect himself before he went to join him, standing beside him. 

"Who'd have thought we'd end up here, hey? I guess it could be worse, though. I could be here without you," Carl said.

"I'd never go anywhere without you, you know that," Roy managed to say. 

Roy blushed, still unused to him talking about their relationship where others might potentially overhear them. It had been a secret up until six months ago, when photos had been published of them coming out of a gay club in London, and Carl had carried the revelation off with such apathy and conviction that Roy had felt braver, just a little, being unconventional and, well, _queer_. It hadn't stopped the violence, or the retaliation, or the pain that word caused, because some people could just never bring themselves to accept gays as actual human beings who bled when they were beaten, but Carl made him braver. 

It was strange to feel so affected by something so, well, human. Roy thought he had rather moved beyond caring. Hiding his vampiric nature had never been easy, but it had never come out. No one had ever found out, except for Carl, and that had only happened because he'd let his guard down and snuck off to kill a rabbit out of desperation during a tour. Carl had caught him with blood, and the knife, and Roy could think of no other explanation than the truth. That Carl took it well and didn't try to kill him was something of a miracle. 

Carl had offered refuge, accepting him for who he was without question. It was all the comfort he had when their relationship was exposed. Sometimes, Roy was up all night wondering whether they would hate him more for being gay, or for being a vampire. Perhaps the existence of vampires was too fanciful to be taken seriously, whereas his homosexuality was too hard to ignore. Sometimes he thought he had too much emotion for a vampire. 

Carl turned to him and smiled. He didn't kiss him, but he did reach for his hand; it was a gentle reassuring presence that helped Roy relax as he let his thoughts swim around his mind. He was feeling reflective again. It often happened on this particular night. He hoped the rest of the band were alright. There was real danger out there.

"You want me to feed your soul now that I've fed your body?" Carl said, breaking the silence.

Roy nodded, glancing at him, knowing he'd been waiting for it since he arrived. The blood was survival; it did nothing more than keep him alive, if a vampire could be said to be alive in any real sense of the word. But the pleasure that came after, that was indulgence, and love. It meant more to Roy than perhaps he was willing to admit. Maybe it was what kept him from giving in to the apathy other vampires had. Carl could always make him care, even when he didn't want to.

They were always careful about when and where they had sex, not wanting to get caught, particularly since they'd been outed. It was a mundane concern that Roy found weirdly grounding that stopped him worrying endlessly about all the other evils out there that might want to hurt him. That mortals might want to hurt him for having sex with another man did sometimes seem ridiculous, but he knew enough to know the danger was real enough. Some places were safer than others, and some were willing to turn a blind eye for the right fee. It also meant sex was never as frequent as either of them wanted, but it made it worth the wait when they did take a chance that was offered to them.

Carl finished his cigarette, squashed it out underfoot, and led him back inside, closing the door, and the curtains, behind them. It made the room quite dark, save for the lamp on one of the bedside tables. Roy liked it that way. It made him feel less exposed. 

Carl brought him into his arms, kissing him fiercely. Roy could never get enough of his intensity, and his passion, even if it meant being a little bruised afterwards. Roy did rather bruise easily, and his skin was always icy cold, though pale and white, and as healthy-looking and alive as he could possibly make it, so no one would ever guess what he really looked like with all the glamours taken away. Carl had never seen his true form, and Roy was determined to keep it that way.

There was a moment where Roy shivered as Carl leant in to bite his earlobe. He gasped; the pain wasn't great, but the sensation of his teeth on his skin was magical. Blood surged through him, and he almost wanted to ask him to break the skin, but he just wasn't willing to convert him, not against his will like that, not yet. Maybe one day, if it came to that, but Carl was better use to him alive, and mortal, than dead, and a vampire. 

He felt Carl's strong hands grasp him firmly, and together, they moved to the bed, where Roy was laid down carefully. Roy watched with eager eyes as Carl undressed, kicking his shoes and trousers off, strewn across the carpet. Carl smirked, stalked forward, crawled up on the bed and drew close to Roy, beginning to strip him of his clothes, piece by agonising piece. 

His shoes went first, unlaced and slipped off one by one. Carl was being deliberately slow, and Roy hated it. He watched him slowly peel his socks off, offering half a massage as he went, rubbing his tired feet. Roy squirmed as he went to suck on his toes, the sensations flying up his spine. It tickled as much as it hurt, as much as he wanted it to continue. He inhaled sharply as Carl's hands slipped up the legs of his trousers, touching his icy skin. He wanted to be naked then, but Carl wouldn't budge. There was more torment to come, and Roy was eager to invite it.

Carl moved up him, lying flat on top of him, moving in such a way that Roy could feel his hard cock rubbing against the fly of his trousers, which were beginning to feel very tight. Roy could feel his body slowly begin to warm up, disguising his real nature amongst mortals. Carl kissed him, and as his hands slowly undid each button on his shirt, he left a kiss behind, finishing with a soft lick just above his belt, causing Roy to flinch. Roy felt he ought to be, at that point, the sort of man who would encourage his lover to hurry the fuck up, but he didn't have it in him, and all he did was lie back and watch as he was undressed on Carl's time, not his. 

Roy never knew quite how long it took. It always seemed to take a long time. Carl would strip him and make love to him, tenderly caring for every part of his body from his head to his toes. Sometimes, Roy felt it was foreplay, but sometimes, it just genuinely felt like Carl was merely interested in caring for him, and that he would gladly do it again, even if they didn't have sex afterwards.

* * *

Trevor found he could move, once he'd fed. His body began to feel warm and alive, and he got up, wandering over to Ace's still form. Ace had been left lying as he'd fallen, limbs all tangled and bent. Trevor knelt beside him, and stroked his forehead, as if it might raise him. Trevor glanced up as he saw Yarmi join him, able to see more of his form now that he wasn't in the shadows, and his vision was adjusting well, albeit still seeing shadows, black and white. Whether he was able to still see colour, he didn't know, not until he was somewhere that wasn't black and white and shadows. 

"Is he gonna be alright, then? He looks dead," Trevor said.

"Hard to say, really. 'Fraid he might end up as a ghoul. The lads were too vicious with him. Not surprised the conversion hasn't taken yet. But, we mebbe lucky, if he pulls through," Yarmi said.

"What happens if he's a ghoul, then? What's the difference?" Trevor asked.

Yarmi shrugged. "Yer free, he's a slave."

"Whose slave? Yours?" Trevor said.

"First vamp he sees. He'll follow ya to Hades and back. Won't die until you kill him proper-like, and let his soul go free," Yarmi said.

Trevor looked up at him, and saw a broad grin across Yarmi's face. "He's mine. Back off. If he has to be a ghoul, I'd rather he was with me."

Yarmi looked disappointed, but respectfully backed off into the shadows. Trevor thought he almost disappeared into them, melding his form until the vampire and the shadow were indistinguishable. 

Trevor watched him; he could still sense where he was, even though he couldn't see him. He sat down and picked Ace up, cradling him in his arms. He thought it was odd that he was still breathing; at least, his chest was rising and falling like it normally would. Whether he was actually still breathing or not, he wasn't sure. It was strange to think he wasn't actually alive anymore. That would take some getting used to. 

A hand grasped his shirt, and Trevor looked down to see Ace stirring at last. He gazed up at Trevor with bleary eyes. 

"Hey. Y'alright then, yeah?" Trevor asked.

Ace blinked and grasped onto him. A moment later, his eyes widened in terror and he pulled Trevor close, refusing to let him go. 

"there's a-a-a... teeeth..." Ace breathed.

Trevor tried to look behind him to see what might be lurking, but Ace held him too tight. Then, without warning, Ace scrambled to his feet, dragging Trevor with him. Stumbling in the dark, Ace led him out of the barn and into the night, running hard across the fields. Trevor did his best to keep up with him, and they didn't stop until they reached the edge of a forest, where Ace dragged him inside until they found a place to hide. 

Trevor lay against the tree, exhausted. Ace huddled close, silent and shivering. Where they were, Trevor didn't know, nor how to get back. He wasn't sure how long it would be before Ace might be willing to move. Maybe they'd stay here all night and make it back when it was light, and maybe they'd starve to death if they weren't eaten first. Trevor wasn't sure which option he preferred.

* * *

"Hey, you seen Ace and Trevor? Have they come back yet?"

Roy glared at Bev's intrusion, though at least he had not walked in on them having sex. "I thought they were with you?" 

Bev shook his head. "I lost them a while back. Must've snuck out of the pub and gone off on their own. I thought they might've come back here by now. You sure you haven't seen them?"

Roy turned to Carl. "No, it's just been us all evening. I didn't hear them come back."

"No, me neither. Do you think they're in any danger, then? Or should we just wait for them to return in their own time? It's not that late, you know," Carl said.

Bev considered his words. "I dunno. I don't normally worry about them, but I don't know. Something's bothering me about it. But maybe you're right. Maybe they'll wander in at 2am, and they'll be fine."

"As long as they don't miss the gig tomorrow, I don't care what time they wander in," Carl said.

"You know what they're like, Bev. They're probably off chasing drugs, like they usually do in every town we go to," Roy said.

Bev had to concede that point. "That's true. I hope it's just that."

"Look, if they haven't returned by midday, we'll go look for them, yeah?" Carl said.

"Yeah, alright. Sorry for barging in. I just wanted to make sure," Bev said.

Carl brushed it off. "No, it's alright. Go get some rest. Ace and Trev can take care of themselves. I'm sure they're fine. They'll turn up in their own time, and everything'll be alright, yeah?"

"Yeah, it'll be alright. I'll leave you to it, then. See you tomorrow. Hope you're writing us another hit, hey, Woody?" Bev said as he went to leave.

Roy glared back as he returned to his song-writing, and didn't bother honouring it with a reply.

* * *

Trevor woke, which surprised him. He didn't remember falling asleep, nor did he remember falling asleep in a tree. Ace was pressed against him, and he couldn't move, but there was a glimmer of sunshine flowing in to him, so perhaps it was morning at last. He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the light, and tried to remember what had happened. 

Gazing down at his arm, he saw his arm had been wrapped in a bandage, and there were two spots of blood there, two spots that looked very much like-

"Oh, God, don't tell me that really happened. Ace, Ace, wake up, will you? I think we're vampires!" Trevor said, shoving his sleeping friend. 

Ace didn't want to move, nor wake, and Trevor had to shove him out of the way in order to move away from him and out into the rest of the forest. He pulled Ace out and tried to see if he was still alive. He thought he could see two similar wounds on Ace's neck, but it was hard to tell. Maybe someone was just playing a prank on them. 

He sat Ace up against the tree trunk and knelt in front of him, trying again to rouse him. He wasn't used to Ace being such a heavy sleeper, if that was what it was, but he did eventually wake him. Ace gazed at him with groggy eyes. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a syllabic mess he couldn't decipher.

"We're in a forest, Ace. Because we were chased by vampires. Do you remember that?" Trevor said, guessing what he might have been trying to say. 

Ace closed his eyes a moment before he spoke. "-'mpoires?"

Trevor showed him his bandaged arm. "I think that's where they bit me."

Ace blinked, confused, and muttered, "S'owin, daft'ed. Wirroiyeah?"

Trevor paused a moment, parsing his words. Slowly, his memories returned. "Ohh, yeah. Now I remember. Dropping acid in the fields. That's right."

Ace gestured vaguely in response. He took a deep breath, and sat up, looking a little more awake, rubbing his temples. "Badshit, that'un."

"You up to walking yet? We should get back before they worry about us. Who knows how long we've been out there, yeah?" Trevor said.

"Arrightarright, gizza hand," Ace muttered, reaching for Trevor.

Trevor helped him up, and they took a moment to take in their surroundings. Trevor found his body aching in strange places from lying on the ground, and Ace seemed similarly affected. There wasn't exactly a clear path in front of them, but the lights of the town could be seen through the trees, suggesting they hadn't gone as far into the forest as they might have done. That, at least, gave them a target. 

"Alright, come on. If we're lucky, it won't take hours," Trevor said as he wrapped an arm around Ace's shoulders, gently guiding him forward.

* * *

Bev heard Ace and Trevor arriving back just as he was about to fall asleep. He was used to it, but they seemed louder and more chaotic than usual, tripping all the way down the hall. Hearing at least two other rooms down from them yell at them to quieten down, Bev decided to get up and usher them in as quietly as possible to minimise the hostilities the next morning. 

He found them outside the wrong room, Ace leaning against the wall while Trevor fumbled in his pockets for the key. 

"This way, lads, before you wake the entire floor, if you don't mind," Bev said as he approached them. 

Trevor grinned broadly at him. "Hey! Bev! There you are! Ace was sure it was the wrong floor, but I knew I recognised it. We've been a bit-there were some vampires, and it was-"

"I'm sure you've had a lovely time, but please, come in before there's a riot. It's three in the morning, and everyone else was asleep before you two came stampeding down the corridor, yeah? They'll charge us through the nose again if we keep being this unruly, and I don't feel like losing any more of my pay because of you two, alright?" Bev said.

Trevor went to reply but Bev grasped him by the front of his shirt and pulled him back towards their rooms. Ace scrambled to his feet and followed, reaching for Trevor's hand. Bev let them into their room, and handed them back their key.

"Oh, hey, I guess I gave that to you in the pub. Good thinking, that was," Trevor said, pleased to see it.

Bev glared at them. "Go. the fuck. to sleep. I don't want to hear another word, alright?"

Trevor tried to look serious, and saluted. Ace grinned and copied him. "Yessir, rightawaysir!" 

Bev replied with a filthy look and left them alone, returning to his bed. He didn't notice Roy slipping into the corridor as he left, keeping to the shadows.

* * *

Roy watched Ace and Trevor with careful eyes. He'd felt them outside, but it wasn't until he got this close to them that he knew what had happened to them. He could hear them through the walls as they spoke, recounting tales of vampires in dark barns and bloody corpses. Roy was almost willing to believe it was a prank if he didn't suspect they were both too stoned to realise what had really happened.

"I thought you were in bed. What are you doing out here, creeping around the corridors?" 

Carl's voice brought Roy out of his observations, and he retreated as Trevor closed the door to their room. 

"They're vampires," Roy said. "Bev was right. Something bad did happen to them out there."

"They're stoned. Are you seriously going to believe anything they say in this state?" Carl said.

"Oh, but they feel like, I'm sure they are, I mean, I'd know-" Roy protested.

"I think you've been working too hard. Not every danger presents itself. If you still feel that way in the morning, we'll talk then, but let the bastards sleep, alright? The last thing I think they need right now is you barging in there accusing them of being vampires. We really will wake the entire floor if you do that and Ace freaks out again. You do remember the last time you tried to do this, yeah?" Carl said.

Roy had to concede his point. He had nearly frightened Ace to death the last time, coming in to convince them there had been werewolves around when they were still coming down from the acid. Repeating that probably wouldn't help matters, and they might end up losing the best bassist they'd ever had if he wasn't careful. 

"Alright, I'll leave it. But I'm telling you, I can sense vampires around. If it's not them, who is it?" Roy said.

"You've been saying that all evening, mate. It's Halloween. What did you expect? This happens every year, or so you keep telling me," Carl reminded him.

Roy thought again, trying to make sense of what he could feel. It was definitely other vampires. And yes, it happened every year. He still didn't know why he was bothered by it. 

"Alright, I give up. Maybe it's just this night doing weird things to me. Come on, I need to sleep, and I won't do it trying to find all the vampires in town, that's for sure," Roy said eventually.

"I'll tie you there myself if I have to. I need you good for the gig. You'll sleep, one way or another," Carl said cheerfully as he brought an arm around Roy's shoulders and led him back inside their room. 

Roy couldn't help glancing over his shoulder as he went, still certain there was something out there, even if he couldn't figure out what it was, apart from vampires. Maybe sleep wasn't such a great idea, after all.

* * *

Ace headed for the bed once they were alone, and flopped down. He wasn't really tired anymore, but his body felt otherwise. The walk back to the hotel had helped them remember what they'd seen, or thought they'd seen, and it had woken them from the high quite nicely. Trevor almost felt he was sober as he joined him, and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. 

"Wild night, hey?" Trevor said.

Ace nodded. "Definitely, yeah."

"Thought you were a gonner there for a while, though. You shoulda seen the blood," Trevor said.

"I just remember it on you, and not much after that," Ace said.

"I wonder who that weird bloke was. It was hard to see him properly, since it was all dark, and he blended into the shadows, but man. He scared us good, though, whoever he was," Trevor said.

"Yarmi. You called, lads?"

Trevor froze at the sound of that voice. Ace, too, was suddenly afraid. Trevor didn't want to look, but curiosity got the better of him and he sat up, looking over where he'd heard the voice. Standing by the window, looking like he'd just climbed into it, was Yarmi, grinning at them. They didn't get another chance to look at him before the room was plunged into darkness. The last thing Trevor heard was Ace screaming.


End file.
